Audiphone.



Patented Aug. 22, I899,-

No.'63l,505

R. HUTCHISON.

A U D l P H O N E (Application filed Mar. 15, 1899.)

2 Sheets-Sheet I,

(No Model.)

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Patented Aug. 22, I899.

R. HUTGHISON.

A U, D I P H 0 N E.

(Application filed Mar. 15, 1899.]

2- Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

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' UNITED STATES:

PATENT ()FFIC.

REESE HUTCHISON, OF MOBILE, ALABAMA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JAMES HOWARD WILSON, OF SAME PLACE.

AUDIPHONE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 631,505, dated August 22, 1899.

Application filed March 15 1899- .To all whom it m0ty.00ncern:

Be it known that I, REESE ..HUTCHISON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Mobile, in the county of Mobile, State of Alabama, have inventedlmprovements in Audiphones, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to audiphones such as described in United States Patent No. 622,368, granted to me April 4:, 1899. The said patent shows, describes, and claims an instrument consisting of an audiphone provided with means for varying at will the intensity of sounds reproduced therein to suit the sensitiveness of the ear. The present invention relates to improvements and 'modifications of such instruments.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents in sectional plan an audiphone comprising one form of earpiece and receiving instrument. Fig. 2 is adiagram showing the electrical connections fora receiving instrument and two earpieces adapted for one person. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an arrangement of instruments and connections for a deaf person and a teacher. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an arrangement of instruments and connections adapted for several deaf pupils and a teacher. Fig. 5 is a dia gram showing a modified form of regulator.

For convenience the part placed against the ear of the deaf person is herein called the earpiece, although it corresponds somewhat to the receiver of a telephone, and the other main part, corresponding somewhat to the transmitter of a telephone, is here in called the receiving instrument as it receives all the sounds or words near the deaf person. Fig. 1 shows in section, these two main parts, the earpiece and receiving instrument, as constructed on the principle def scribed in my said patent with a modification hereinafter explained.

The earpiece A is provided with a diahra m a and thereceivin instrument B is P c s a casing a, a diaphragm a, a core-piece a and coils of wire a a The receiving instrument B comprisesa casing 19, a diaphragmb, a funnel b converging toward the diaphragm b, and a variable contact b 7 'An earpiece, a receiving instrument, a battery, (adapted it necessary to be carried in the pocket, in a belt, or in any other convenient place about the deaf person,) suitable electrical connections, and a regulator or dampening device complete the essential parts of one form of outfit.

As described in my aforesaid patent, one of the most important points of this invention is the means for regulating at will the intensity of sounds reproduced in the earpiece to prevent any inconvenience or pain to the deaf person. One form of regulator shown in said patent acts on the following principle: Around the core-piece a of the earpiece A are wound coils of wire a forming part of the main circuit. A current passing through these coils a produces a certain magnetic effecton core a which in turn acts on the diaphragm a. Reverse-coils a are wound on the same core a in opposite direction to the coils a and connections are arranged whereby-one or more of these reverse-coils a may be cut into the main circuit at will in series with the coils a but, as stated, running in opposite direction in relation to the core a The effect of this regulator is that the magnetic influence of the reverse-coils a lessens the strength of the magnetic influence of the coils a on the core a and the strength of the core is inversely-decreased in proportion to the number of coils cut in, not only due to the converse magnetic effect, but also due to the resistance of these coils a By my present invention I modify this regulator by using for these reverse-coilswire of high electrical resistance, such as German silver, whereby when the reverse-coils are cut into the circuit they will act to cut down the current as well as to reverse the magnetizing efiect. Another form of regulator described in my said patent is represented at C, Fig. 2, acting on the principle of cutting in and out of the main circuit resistancecoils to vary the effect of the current. A further modification of this regulator is shown diagrammatically by Fig. 5. Suppose a core Z to be magnetized by battery E with a given strength. If the coils of a variable shunt Z are cut in around the terminals of the winding z, the strength of the core Z will be diminished inversely as the amount of wire cut in increases.

WVhile the regulator may be placed in any part of the circuit, by the present invention the regulator forms part of the earpiece. For instance, the contact-points c and the handle 0 are placed on the back of the earpiece, as shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 4.

In place of the regulator or in addition thereto I may use other means for varying the intensity of sounds reproduced by the diaphragm a of the earpiece. Such means may be in the form of a device for dampening or arresting the vibrations of the diaphragm of either the earpiece or the receiving instrument. As an example only of a dampening device, I have shown in Fig. 1 a lever F in the form of a spring-blade provided with a pad or cushion f, of cloth or the like, and secured to the casing b of the receiving instrument B. This pad f is adapted to be pressed more or less against the diaphragm b by the thumb-screwf. I do not limit myself to this special form of dampen: ing device, and although it is here shown as applied to the diaphragm of the receiving instrument it maybe placed in the earpiece.

For occasional use a single earpiece may be sulfieient; but for use while being taught or for continued use two earpieces are preferable, secured to the head in anyconvenient manner-as, for instance, in the way telephone centrals attach their instruments. 1A receiving instrument may be mounted on one of the earpieces, as shown in Fig. 1; but

in some cases it may be preferable to have the receiving instrument held by the person speaking to the deaf person. In either case the electrical connections are the same and are shown diagrammatically in Fig. 2. Referring to this Fig. 2, A A are the two carpieces; B, the receiving instrument; 0 or C, the regulators for the earpieces; D, a maincurrent regulator, (as here shown, a variable resistance,) and E a battery. The current passes from the battery E through wire 1 to the regulator D. If the handle of this regulator D is on button d, the circuit is broken and no current passes. If the handle is on button (1, then the circuit is closed; but all the resistance-coils was 00 &c-., are cut in and the instrument is at its least sensibility. As the handle is turned toward the button (I the instrument becomes stronger and when on button d is at its maximum power, all the resistance-coils being cut out. The current passes from the regulator D through wire 2 to the receivinginstrument B, thence through wire 3 and wires 3 3 to the earpieces A A, then through wires 3 3 to wire l, and on to battery E.

Instead of the main-current regulator opcrating on the principle of a variable resistance it may comprise means for cutting in and out a varying number of cells of a battery or for changing the connections of the cells from series to multiple to vary the amperage.

As shown in diagram Fig. 3 the main-current regulator D is adapted to cut in a varying number of battery-cells. This diagram shows the connections for a sin gle-instruetion outfit comprising two earpieces, each provided with its own regulator, that may be separately adjusted to suit the sensitiveness of each ear of the deaf person, a main-current regulator preferably operated by the teacher, two receiving instruments, and suitable electrical connections. One of the receiving instrumentsis held by the teacher and the other one by the pupil,\vhereby when the pupil repeats after the teacher he may hear his own voice, and thus be enabled to distinguish between his expression and that of the teacher.

Fig. 4 shows a diagram of connections for a multipupil-instruction outfit. Any number of instruments for pupils may be connected to the teachers instrument B; but as here shown there are four, each comprising two earpieces A A, A A A A &c., a switch II I-I &c., to cut into the main circuit its set of earpieces, (and which may be closed by the pupil or automatically when the pupil takes his place or takes up his set of earpieces,) a receiving instrument B B B, &e., and a switch K K K &c., to connect the pupils outfit with the teachers instrument B. This receiving instrument B and the main-current regulator D are under the control of the teacher. The operation of this multipupil outfit (represented by Fig. 4) is as follows: Suppose four pupils have taken up theiroutfits A A &c., and the switches 11 H &c., are closed. When the teacher speaks into the instrument l3, the switch 'K or K &c., must be closed for each or all pupils wishing to hear the teacher. Then a current can pass from battery E through wire 11 to regulator D, through wires 12 13 to teachers instrument B, through wires 14, 15, 16, 16 16 and 16 switches K K K K, wires 17 17 17 and 17 switches I1, I1 I1 and H to earpieces A, A A and A to wire 18 and back to battery E, and any variations in the current produced by the vibrations of the diaphragm in the teachers instrument B will cause similar vibrations in the diaphragms of the earpieces A, A A and A or any one or more of these connected to the teachers instrument by having switches H K H K &e., closed. If the teacher wishes to instruct one pupil. alone, the others may isolate themselves by opening their switches K K &c., when they can practice by themselves by talking into their receivin g instruments B B '&c. For instance, outfit A may be connected to the teacher by having switches H and K closed, and the pupil using any other outfit, say A, may

open his switch K and by talking into instrument B will hear himself in earpieces A A, as a current will pass from battery E through wire 11, regulator D, wires 12 19 20, instrument B, wire 17 switch H, earpiece A, and wire 18 to battery. Likewise any number of pupils may practice by themselves by opening their switches K K 850., without disturbing each other or any one connected to the teacher.

In arrangements where a special regulator for the main current is used it is preferable to have the handles of the separate earpiece regulators 0 adapted to remain at any desired point instead of normally going to the point of least sensibility, as described and claimed in my said patent, so that when the earpieces have been adjusted to suit each ear the regulators C may be left in the adjusted position and the main-current regulator used as a common controller. The maincurrent regulator may be adapted to norinally return to zero to open the circuit, if desired; also, if desired, each pupil may have a controller to regulate his particular set of instrumentsthat is, each outfit may be provided with a separate regulator D as shown in dotted lines in connection with the outfit A in Fig. 4, whereby the pupil may vary the strength of both earpieces at once in addi-' tion to the separate regulation by means of regulator C. This additional regulator D may be a variable resistance or it may be a battery-regulator, such as shown at D, Fig. 3. In the first case a battery-changing switch might be substituted as the main-current regulator, and in the second case the maincurrent regulator could be'ab'olished altogether.

I claim as my invention 1. In an audiphonc, the combination of an electrical circuit, an electrical receiving instrument, and a plurality of earpieces in the said current adapted to reproduce sounds received in the said receiving instrument, each earpiece being provided with a regulator to' control the intensity of the sounds reproduced, at will, and adapted to remain at any desired point of adjustment, and a main-current regulator, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. An electrical circuit, an electromagnet comprising a soft-iron core, coils of ,wire wound on said core in one direction, and reverse-coils, of wire of higher electrical resistance than the first-mentioned coils, wound on the same core in the opposite direction, all the said coils being in series in the said electrical circuit, and means for cutting in and out of the circuit the said reverse-coils, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. A multipupil-instruction outfit for deaf and semideaf persons, comprising a series of electrical earpieces each provided with a regulator to separately control the intensity of .sounds reproduced therein to suit the varying sensitiveness of the ears of the deaf'person, and a regulator whereby he may vary the strength of both earpieces at once, a receiving instrument, and electrical connections whereby any one or more of the said series of earpieces may be cut in or out of circuit with the said receiving instrument, substantially as described.

4. The combination of a series of electrical earpieces, a corresponding series of receiving instruments, with a separate receiving instrument, and electrical connections whereby any one or more of the'series of earpieces may be cut in or out of circuit with the said separate receiving instrument, and any one or more of the series of receiving instruments may be isolated with its corresponding ear" piece series but in closed electrical circuit therewith.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

REESE HUTCHISON.

Witnesses:

EDITH J. GRISWOLD, A. J. WILDMAN. 

